Fruit pizza is a nostalgic dessert, and if you ask me- it’s never gone out of style! Our update on the classic fruit pizza of years past: an orange zest sugar cookie crust, whipped cream topping, and fresh, juicy berries to finish things off. This dessert is certainly a show stopper, but it tastes just as good as it looks! You can choose colored fruit for a theme (red, white, and blue, anyone?) or just use any other favorites! Cut into wedges, or squares, you can’t go wrong with this crowd pleaser.
Ingredients and Equipment List
- Butter – I recommend real (salted) butter. If you have dairy intolerances, can try out a plant based butter, but I’ve never tried it.
- Sugar – use standard granulated sugar in your cookie crust
- Egg – Make sure to use a large or extra large egg in this cookie recipe
- Almond and Orange Extracts – I use almond extract in my cookie and some orange extract in the toppling for a great flavor combination.
- All Purpose Flour – This is for the cookie base.
- Baking Powder – Adds leavening to the cookie base
- Salt – I recommend using table salt because the small granules distribute better in dough.
- Orange – We’ll use the fresh orange zest to add flavor and brightness to our cookie dough.
- Cream Cheese – Cream cheese is used with fresh whipped cream in the topping. Low-fat is okay, avoid fat free.
- Brown Sugar – Brown sugar is used in the topping. It’s a bit of a secret ingredient as it adds a great depth of flavor.
- Whipping Cream – Whipped cream adds lightness and creaminess to the topping.
- Powdered Sugar – used in the topping.
- Fruit – use fruit of your choice. You’ll want to avoid things with lots of juice that can water down your topping. Berries work beautifully. If using “wetter” fruit, lay out on a paper towel after slicing, and before placing on your fruit pizza.
- Chocolate Chips – This ingredient is optional. If you’d like to drizzle a little melted chocolate on top of your fruit pizza, simply melt some chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth and gently drizzle on top.
How to Make Fruit Pizza
- Make your cookie dough for your pizza crust and shape it into a circle on top of a piece of parchment. You can leave it plain and round (or not round) or crimp the edges like I’m doing. Chill in the fridge for about an hour before baking to help keep its shape.
- Place your parchment sheet on a baking sheet and place in a preheated 350°F oven. Baking time will vary on a few factors, like the thickness of your cookie and your oven, but should probably take around 18-25 minutes.
- If you like a soft cookie crust like I do, you’ll want to watch for the edges to be done and starting to get golden, but the center should look set, but soft. The center should not turn golden brown, unless you’re shooting for a crispier cookie.
- Once cookie is done, remove from oven and let cool completely. Completely. While it’s cooling, you can wash and prepare your fruit.
- Next, make your whipped topping by beating cream cheese, brown sugar, and orange extract on high until the mixture is light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, beat some heavy cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks form. Fold the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture and mix until combined.
- Dollop the topping on the pizza (this recipe makes plenty, you’ll probably have a little leftover that you can use to dip fruit in!) and spread it out. Decorate as you wish with your desired fruit.
- Cut fruit pizza into wedges or squares to serve.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It’s best served fresh, but leftovers will still taste great from the fridge for a few days.
- Serving Option: For an extra touch, melt a little chocolate and drizzle it over the top. You can use a spoon and freehand, or place warm chocolate in a zip-top bag with the corner cut off and drizzle over your fruit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I prep this ahead of time?
I wouldn’t prep the entire pizza too far in advance, but there are lots of steps you can do ahead. Make and shape the dough and keep well wrapped in the fridge 24 hours in advance. You could also bake your cookie crust, wrap well and freeze it for several weeks and whip your topping several hours in advance and keep in an airtight container in the fridge and prep your fruit in advance. All of these steps make it much quicker to throw together.
What fruits are best on fruit pizza?
Berries are a great choice because they hold up well. You’ll want to avoid fruit that browns quickly like bananas, unless you serve it immediately. Fruit that’s more juice will work, but it helps if you slice it and blot extra liquid with a paper towel before placing on your pizza so it doesn’t seep too much liquid. Some of our favorites are strawberries, kiwi, mandarin oranges, blueberries, raspberries.
Can this be made in a different shape?
You bet! You can easily form this into a rectangle, or for a slightly thicker crust, in a 9×13 pan. If you double this recipe, it works well in a rimmed half sheet baking sheet.
Serving Suggestion
- One of my favorite things to do for a fun event like a baby shower is to do a fruit pizza bar! Just bake the dough in individual serving size cookies and set out on a cute platter next to a bowl of the topping and lots of fresh fruit. People can create their own little cookie treat!
Fruit Pizza
Sweet cream frosting and sliced fruit top a sweet sugar cookie base in this fantastic dessert pizza.
Servings wedges
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup real butter 2 sticks, or 8 oz
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg large or extra large
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 390g
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- Zest of 1 orange
Creamy Topping
- 8 ounces package cream cheese
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon orange extract
- 1 cup whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Fruit Topping
- 1 pint strawberries washed, hulled, sliced, and patted dry
- 1 pint blueberries washed and patted dry
- ½ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy–about 2 minutes. Add in egg and extract and mix to incorporate.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined. Add the orange zest and mix until combined.
- Form dough into a ball and flatten out into a circle on a piece of parchment the size of a half sheet baking pan. Use a rolling pin, and your hands, to press out into a circle shape about ⅓ inch thick. If desired, you can add a decorative finish (like fluting) to the edges of the crust. Lift dough and place parchment on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- When ready to bake the crust, preheat your oven to 350℉. Bake the crust for 18-25 minutes or until just golden brown around the edges and set in the center, but still soft. If you prefer a crisper crust, you can bake the crust for a longer amount of time. Allow to cool completely.
- When the crust is cool, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, orange extract, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whip the cream and powdered sugar until medium-stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and combine well.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled crust. You will likely have a little extra topping, use it to dip fruit or graham crackers! Arrange the fruit as desired over the creamy topping.
- If using chocolate, place the chocolate chips in a heavy-duty small Ziploc bag and heat in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time, mashing the bag around until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Cut a small corner off the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the pizza. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
It’s important to correctly measure your flour or you will end up with a dry, crumbly dough. For best results, weigh your flour with a food scale. If you don’t have a food scale, fluff your flour in the container with a spoon first, and then lightly scoop into your measuring cup and level with a knife.
Nutrition
Serving: 16slices, Calories: 243kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.001g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 123mg, Potassium: 116mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 253IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 47mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 243kcal
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Questions & Reviews
OMG! It is 7.17am here & I have stumbled upon this beautiful view of deliciousness!!
I’m going to step up the exercise the next few days so I can make share and enjoy this devine looking treat you have shared. Thank You 😀
I have been craving fruit piazza so I am making it right now but my cream cheese frosting turned out clumpy!! Do I need to soften the cream cheese first? It tastes delicious so far though!!
It helps to beat the cream cheese first, so yes, it needs to be a little softened!
Very good! Love the orange zest in the crust! Two thumbs up!!!!
I made this yesterday for a friend’s bday and it was sooo good!
Rock on. My mom used to make these all the time. I’m making one for a co-worker this weekend and just came on the site figuring you had a recipe posted somewhere for fruit pizza. They are way cool and always have been. Now Harry Potter on the other hand…
My mom and sisters made this recently for my whole family and they said it was AMAZING!! So, now I HAVE to make it! hehe ;P I was also wondering if the video of you all making it on tv is on here somewhere (or where I can find it). I love watching you all make things! lol ;P
Hands down one of the best desserts I have made in a long time, not too sweet. So simple but so delish! Made it for the 4th and we are still fighting over every last piece. Thank god it makes a nice BIG pizza!
I made this for the 4th, and it was amazing. It looked great and tasted even better! I ate it for dessert, then breakfast the next day, then for dinner last night. I tweaked it a little and used half vanilla and half lemon extract in the dough, then just used some orange zest in the frosting. I don’t know how you used all of the frosting on the pizza though, because we had a ton extra! We used it as a strawberry fruit dip last night. Yum! Thanks for the recipe idea..
I made this for a party on Saturday and it was such a hit that I made it again for another party on Monday. The almond extract and orange zest in the crust are what make this dish. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I think it looks so so pretty !!!
and delicious
This is probably a dumb question, but every time I make a fruit pizza the crust doesn’t turn out that well. In my stone it is too soggy (and now I see you said not to use a stone on cookies so I won’t anymore!) and my other pizza pan has the holes all over it and makes cookies too hard. So what pizza pan do you ladies use? I think I need to invest in a different kind!
The orange zest added the most AMAZING twist! I don’t think I’ll ever make sugar cookies without it again! SO delicious!!!
same here! gave it a lighter and fresh taste – they “tasted” healthier!! haha
One of my fondest memories as a child was a teacher from church coming to my house on my birthday with a big fruit pizza! I have loved it ever since and will never quit making it. My husband gets very upset with designs because, “You have to have every piece of fruit on every slice of pizza!!” So, my creativity is limited. LOL!!! Really??? Goof ball.
My sister made this for our 4th celebration. It was soooo good and so beautiful!
Just made this, and it looks awesome! Can’t wait to eat it! (although, I’ve been snacking on everything as I made it: the frosting, the chocolate, the berries, the cake…) 😉
Made this yesterday and everybody LOVED it, raved about it. I also loved it for breakfast this morning…
I made this for a party yesterday & everyone loved it!!!! Thanks so much for the recipe!
the crust part of this is done and oh boy does it smell YUMMY! Orange and fruity and sweet!
Can’t wait to get the “frosting” on along with the fruit (already cut up).
Yummeroos!
I made this last night to go along with our traditional Friday night pizza night dinner and it was divine. Thx for the recipe. I would change the amount of orange vest next time. It over powered my slices although my husband said he didn’t even notice it. We all jilted the pizza including my one ear od and four yr ok’d.
Need help ladies – is Orange Zest a requirement for the crust or could I use dried valencia orange peel? (McCormick brand) thanks!!!!
This is what I have ….. can I use this in place of the orange extract in the cream cheese mixture too?
http://www.mccormickgourmet.com/Products/Spices/Orange-Peel-Valencia.aspx
I also have orange extract if either of those might work??
Robin, it could just be my stone, but my cookies always come out too fluffy. And they taste like garlic, but that’s probably because of the obscene amount of pizza I make… 🙂
Hi Kate. This looks amazing. I have a couple of questions. 1) I don’t have orange extract and not sure I want to buy it, since I don’t know when I would use it again (in the next year or so), so can I substitute orange juice or orange zest? If not, I guess I will have to buy it. 2) I am not artistic like you, and wish I was! I love your little fruit pattern in the middle of your pizza. Did you continue that same pattern throughout the pizza? I’m trying to figure it out by looking at your 2nd picture. Thanks.
Hi, Megan! Don’t worry about buying the orange extract, just toss 1/2 tsp. of orange zest in there. I did continue the pattern, although it kind of lost itself near the end. 🙂
Ok, so Maggie is sitting next to me and when she saw the fruit pizza she went, “Ooooooooh….Mom, I really want that! I’ll go get a pen and paper so I can write down what ingredients we need to buy!” I guess we’ll be making this in the near future! I’m praying that strawberries and blueberries aren’t too outrageously expensive bc apparently my 5 year old needs this!
Wow that looks so good to eat! Something that yummy never goes out of style it just gets better with age. Fruit pizza is one of my favorite food groups :o)
I love fruit pizza! And this looks wonderful…no surprise coming from you ladies!
I know have Justin Timberlake singing SexyBack stuck in my head only know it’s “I’m bringing Fruit Pizza back…” help me!! It looks delicious and beautiful. Who wouldn’t want a piece? Take that fruit pizza haters!
Ha, Kelli, I was totally going to do the whole sexy back thing, but I thought it might be weird. So I’m glad you’re feeling it. 🙂
fruit pizza went out of style?? I don’t believe it! LOL Fruit pizza will always be cool. Can’t wait to try yours 🙂
This looks so yummy! I’ll have to try it out sometime this summer!
What a great recipe for the upcoming holiday. Gorgeous pictures!
I loved fruit pizza in the 80’s and still love it today! Thanks for posting a yummy reminder of things that are good to eat! 🙂
I bet it would look amazing drizzled in white chocolate too plus it would keep the whole “red, white & blue” theme going.